To keep, hold, persist, perpetuate, or preserve for a prolonged period of time.

Inflected Form(s):

Maintaining (present tense), Maintained (past tense), Maintenance (noun)

Comments:

Maintain is a general term that relates to large number of situations.

Pertaining to breathing:

a.Maintain can refer to any part of breathing that is prolonged for a period of time.

b.Holding of one's breath is usually due to an Environmental Condition, such as a poisonous gas or being dunked under water.

c.One should not try to maintain their breath during the execution of moves - but rather use breathing to coordinate and enhance movement. See breathe, inhale and exhale for more information on this subject.

d.Maintain can be used as a command to instruct a practitioner to cease breathing and tighten their body in preparation for a strike. This command is typically used during a belt testing ceremony, just prior to a practitioner receiving their promotion kick.

Pertaining to Moves:

a.Maintaining a move has the effect of changing the timing of the Flow of Action - which directly relates to Regulating in the Formulation Equation.

b.See Lock-out for more information on this subject.

Pertaining to the mind:

a.Maintain can refer to belief, composure, disposition, emotion, thought, strategy, attitude, attention, etc...

b.Pertaining to the body:

c.Maintaining the proper skill level, timing, and shape is a vital element of the martial arts.

d.Maintenance of the body can refer to exercise, diet, sleep, etc.

Related Definition(s):

Attention, Attitude, Breathe, Buoyancy, Choke, Exhale, Float, Fly, Focus, Inhale, Lock, Press, Regulate, Scissor, Stable, Stance, Timing

Related Term(s):

Body Mechanics, Body Momentum, Combat Awareness, Delayed Movement, Detaining Strike, Diversified Flow of Action, Environmental Condition, External System, Flow of Action, Formulation Equation, Internal System, Lock-out, Method of Execution, Pinning Block, Stiff Lock-out